Together
by Ahoy-Cinderella
Summary: ONE-SHOT / set right after Liv is found in Surrender Benson.


_Hayley, I have no idea if this is anything like you requested but this is what somehow came out of my head and into words._

_I hope you all enjoy, please let me know what you think!_

* * *

"Come on, Liv…let's get you out of here"

Olivia slowly shuffled her weary, aching body down the steps, guided by her partner. She took a quick glance back at the house, now surrounded by CSU teams and a mountain of cops. Nick had been relentless in his convincing the paramedics to let him drive her to the hospital to get checked out. She slowly made her way to the car, stopping harshly when Nick tried to guide her into the back seat. Her mind froze and her heart stopped hard in her chest, images of Lewis gaging her and forcing her into the back seat, cuffing her hands to the door handle, grinning at her as he forced the bottle of cheap vodka down her throat until she gagged.

"Sorry…" He stepped back from her quickly as she lashed out in defence, his hands in front of his chest

"It's okay…I'm sorry" She muttered, holding her own hands up before gently lowering herself into the back seat, shuffling her body into the middle seat, the need to look out the front window and not at the back of driver's seat was over-whelming. Her breathing got slightly laboured as she listened to Fin on the phone, his muffled words informing someone, probably Cragen that they had found her alive and she was safe now.

She watched out the window, her eyes focused on the sea waves in front of her, her mind spinning a thousand miles per second, yet completely blank at the same time.

.

"Fin…" Her quiet, nervous voice called from the back seat

"Yeah baby girl?"

"Can I borrow your phone?" She asked hesitantly

"Sure" Fin smiled as he turned in his seat and handed his phone to her "Take as long as you need"

She held the device with shaking hands, her fingers slowly pressing the screen, typing in the number she had come to memorise over the last months, she paused before hitting the dial button, tears in her eyes, her heart thudding so loud in her chest she was sure the guys in the front seat could hear it. She finally had someone to call. Someone to wonder if she was alright, someone to be by her side every step of the road to recovery at least she hoped.

Olivia held the phone to her ear, her nerves building with every ring. She jumped slightly when she heard the sudden answer, his rushed voice breathy and anxious.

"Hello?"

"Hey…it's me" She said quietly

"Liv? Babe? Are you alright? Where are you?" His fearful voice asked, she could practically see him pacing around the room

"I'm fine…" Her voice broke, she took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears and stop her voice from cracking under the emotion "Nick and Fin are taking me to the hospital just now"

"Okay…"

The silence between them was comforting and slightly nerving. Olivia couldn't help but worry that this would be the thing to break them apart, what if he couldn't handle her broken, fragile state?

"God Liv…" He started "I've…" She covered her hand over her mouth, trying to fight back a sob as she heard his voice break through the phone, his tears evident.

"I've never been more scared in my whole life" He admitted quietly

"I know…"

"No, Liv, God, I couldn't…"

"I know" She interrupted "It's okay"

"I can't imagine my life without you, babe" She openly sobbed in the car, quickly pulling herself together when both men turned to watch her.

"I'm gonna come meet you at the hospital okay?" He asked

"Okay…" Her voice quiet once more as she realised he would be there for her, he would see her this way, broken, bruised, defeated.

"Hey, Liv…it's okay." He said calmly, trying to convince her through the phone "Everything's gonna be okay"

"Is it?"

"Yeah babe, it is, I promise, I'll be there as soon as I can"

"Thank you" Her tears filled her eyes once more, she quickly rubbing the few that fell away, wincing slightly as they burned the tiny cuts on her face and hands.

"I'll see you soon okay? Everything's gonna be alright"

"Yeah, see you soon"

.

"Amaro… Fin… Where is she!? Where's Liv?" Brian rushed over to the two worried looking detectives who immediately jumped in front of him, barricading themselves against the door to Olivia's room.

"She's in there but you can't go in just yet…" Fin tried to explain

Brian backed away and ran his hands over his face, the anxiousness evident in his exhausted eyes "Why not? What's happening?"

"Cassidy, just back off just now, you'll see her soon…" Nick tried to calm him down

"Is she okay? Why the hell won't you tell me what's going on!?"

"Cassidy man, the doctor's with her now, they're doing a rape kit…"

Brian heard those two words he never ever wanted to hear, his mouth went dry, as if someone had forced cotton wool down his throat, his heart pounded in his chest. He backed up against the wall, light headedness taking over his frame; he stood with his back against the wall unable to listen to what the guys were trying to explain to him.

"How…She…Oh God, she was raped?" He felt the tears escape from his eyes as he slid down the wall to the floor, his head resting on his knees trying to breathe through the overwhelming feelings of nausea that flooded his worried body.

"It's just a precaution…"

"Precaution? Nick, I worked SVU remember, they don't do a rape kit for nothing!" He tried to argue "I'm gonna be sick…"

"Just breathe man, it's gonna be over soon. You need to be strong for her now, we all do" Fin reasoned.

"What the hell happened to her?"

"We don't know, she wouldn't tell us anything…" Nick explained

.

"You can see her now, one at a time, I don't want her feeling too overwhelmed" The doctor insisted before stepping away from the three worried men

"Go Cassidy, she'll want to see you" Fin gently urged Brian forward.

He nodded at the two men who brought her here, who waited for news about her wellbeing and condition, hoping and praying like he did that she would be okay and pull through this tragic ordeal with the strength and fearlessness that only Olivia Benson possessed.

He gently knocked on the door, trying to stop himself from flipping out; he knocked again and opened the door quietly calling her name.

"Liv, babe?"

He noticed her in the corner of the room with her back to the door, standing staring out the window at the stormy night city. He took in her appearance, hospital gown, her hair its natural waves which he loved and she at times hated. She was always getting up that little bit earlier in the morning so she could straighten it before she left for work. He noticed the plastic cast on her left arm, the bastard broke her wrist. He couldn't see her face but he knew she was trying to be strong, she stood tall, her arms wrapped across her chest.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked softly walking towards her but not too close, wanting her to make the first move, not wanting to overstep his bounds.

"Better now I guess…" Her rough, exhausted voice spoke

"Liv…"

"I thought I was a goner" She shook her head slightly, never moving from her stance at the window "I thought he was actually going to do to me what he did to all those other women…"

"Did he…?" Brian couldn't bring himself to say the words, he couldn't bear the thought of some evil, sadistic bastard overpowering and brutalising the one woman in the world he actually gave a damn about.

"I don't know…" Olivia knew exactly what he was asking, she just wished she could give him an exact answer "He knocked me out for a while, he might have…he didn't do anything while I was awake anyway"

Brian just stood still and nodded, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth as tears filled his eyes once again, he knew he couldn't break down in front of her; that was the last thing she needed. He shook his head and apologised when she turned to look at him for the first time.

"It's okay" She said quietly "I'm gonna be fine"

"I know"

"I'm gonna be fine…" She repeated "I'm going to be fine…" She said again, her tone harsh as she turned away from him, he could hear the emotion in her voice

"Olivia…"

And then she broke.

.

Brian rushed to his girlfriend's side; his arms carefully reaching out for her as she fell into his body, her unbroken arm reached up and grabbed his collar, her nails digging in to the skin of his neck leaving four harsh red nail marks in the skin as she held onto him for dear life, her broken arm reaching as best she could to wrap around his waist under his jacket, her fingers trying to cling to the material of his shirt as she sobbed into his chest.

He cautiously wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his other reaching into her hair holding her against him.

"It's okay babe, you're gonna be okay. I'm right here…I'm right here" He whispered in her ear as he felt her fall against him, him being the only thing keeping her standing.

Seeing her like this terrified him to his very soul. Never in his life or even in hers had she been this emotional in front of another person, she wasn't the kind of woman who would share this much of the emotional side of herself.

He moved them over to the chair by the bed; he sat down, never letting her go and pulled her into his lap, one arm around her waist the other softly rubbing up and down her back trying to help calm her breathing before she fell into a full blown panic attack.

"It's okay, it's okay, just let it all out…" He gently kissed her head as he rocked her steadily back and forth hoping the soothing motion would help calm her.

After a further ten minutes her full blown hysterical sobbing turned into short breaths as she began to calm down. Brian continued to whisper comforting words to her, hoping she was listening.

"I'm not going anywhere Liv, I'll help you get through this as best I can okay?" He sighed when he felt her nod against his chest; he wrapped his arms tighter around her when she began shivering in his arms.

"Here…" He gently pulled back from her for a moment while he peeled his dark hoodie from his body and wrapped it around her shoulders, helping her get the sleeve over her awkward cast.

"Thank you" She whispered, wiping a few drying tears from her face all of a sudden completely overtaken by embarrassment at her emotional breakdown in front of him

"I'm sorry"

"Hey, don't you dare be sorry" He insisted, his arms resting around her once more "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for"

She nodded and continued to gaze at her lap "You won't leave me right?" Her voice barely broke out, her body filled with dread at even asking that question, never in her life had she been dependent on anyone let alone a man but in this very moment, that last thing she felt she could be was alone.

"Liv, I'm not going anywhere" He vowed "As long as you need me, as long as you want me, I'm here"

"Thank you" She closed her eyes and sighed "I'm so tired"

"I know, but you have to stay awake for a while because of the concussion…" He reached to run his hands through her hair like he often did but pulled back when she flinched away from him

"Sorry" He pulled his hands back and dropped them to the sides of the chair

"It's okay, I'm sorry" She gripped her hair in her hands "I'm sorry" She looked at him with her dark weary eyes

"Don't be sorry"

"I don't want to talk about it"

"I'm not going to make you" Brian insisted "You can tell me everything, or you can tell me nothing at all. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you, Liv"

Olivia sighed at laid her head back down on his shoulder, allowing him to rest his arms around her weary body. There was no doubt that getting through this ordeal was going to take time, patience and a whole lotta trust but as long as they were both willing and ready, they could get through anything that came their way.

Together.

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_thoughts? let me know._

_twitter: ahoycinderella_


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